3. The tail will continue to wriggle for a few moments after removal, and if the lizard is lucky, the predator will go after the abandoned appendage instead. Yellow or orange scales are scattered on the sides of the body. The Old Pueblo is home to roughly a dozen different species of lizards, says John Wiens, a University of Arizona professor of ecology and evolutionary biology who studies reptiles and amphibians. Some species of lizards, including the Sonoran spotted whiptail and about half a dozen other whiptail species in Arizona, have evolved to be asexual. Clutch size ranges from 2 to 12 eggs. Both male and female lizards set up territories of just a few feet. Amphibians and Reptiles of New Mexico. The whiptail and desert spiny lizards are active mostly in the warmer months, from March to October. Its lack of bars on the forelimbs distinguish it from Clark's Spiny Lizard. Get the latest University of Arizona news delivered in your inbox. Belly and throat patches are faint or absent in females. Arizona Game and Fish Department. However, when temperatures climb into the 90s and 100s, lizards try to avoid direct sunlight. Schulte, J.A., J.R. Macey, and T.J. Papenfuss. Brattstrom. A black wedge shape marks each shoulder. Herpetologica. Attracted to insects around lights at night, they are the ones you may have spotted in silhouette on your windows, thanks to their sticky feet. The bite from these large invertebrates is very painful, …
2015. Females and juveniles have large combined dark spots on their back and belly areas, and the blue/violet and green/blue coloring is absent. Tree lizards, desert spiny lizards and other members of the "iguanian" group of lizards engage in this behavior as a way to defend their territory against rival males and perhaps show off to potential mates, Wiens says. With masks and other measures, it subsided. This fact might not be so quirky, but it's important to understand, Wiens says. Wiens says research has shown that lizards without tails tend to lose social status with their peers and may have a harder time defending territories or getting mates. "Lizards." Life History and Behavior: Activity: Diurnal. By Alexis Blue, Please contact the photographer regarding commercial use of copyrighted photographs. All photos on this website are copyrighted. "They pretty much like the same temperatures that we do.". 2006,A genetic perspective on the geographic association of taxa among arid North American lizards of the Sceloporus magister complex (Squamata: Iguanidae: Phrynosomatinae) Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 39: 873–880 Brennan, Thomas C. "Desert Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus Magister) - Reptiles of Arizona." Hatchlings may appear as early as late May but usually begin to emerge in July. REPRODUCTION: It is often encountered in male-female pairs. Lizards can look intimidating. University Information Security and Privacy. University Relations - Communications. "This sort of 'fake mating' actually appears to be really important for increasing their fertility," Wiens says.
They might seek a shady spot or retreat into a rock crevice or abandoned rodent burrow, Wiens says. "They've lost normal sex, but they've retained these behavioral components.". Sceloporus magister uniformis was elevated to species status in 2006 (Sceloporus uniformis), when genetic analysis revealed that it is sufficiently distinct to merit classification as its own species.[3]. Science Reference Center). Sceloporus magister is the scientific name of desert spiny lizard, which is mostly found in the Chihuahuan Desert and Sonoran Desert of North America.
Males have two large, bright, blue-green patches on the belly and a blue-green patch on the throat. To beat the summer heat, lizards generally are most active in the early morning and around sunset — like many Tucsonans.
Phoenix, AZ Though not native to Arizona, Mediterranean geckos also are common in warmer months, Wiens says. You see them running up trees. A female Desert Spiny Lizard will lay anywhere from 4 to 24 eggs during the summertime (“Lizards “28. What's especially fascinating, Wiens says, is that when two asexual female whiptails are kept together, they actually produce a greater number of fertile eggs than they would on their own. No. Reptiles & Amphibians Of The West (1974): 28. It is often encountered in male-female pairs. Craig Ivanyi. A Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles in Arizona. This is a lizard species that belongs to the subfamily called Phrynosomatinae. 23 Mar. Editor’s Note: Schulte et al. Sonoran spotted whiptails, with their long tails and dark and light stripes, are fast moving and always on the go.
13 May 2015. Description. 2005. It is usually encountered on lower slopes, bajadas, plains, and low valleys, often in the branches of trees or in the vicinity of ground cover such as wood piles, rock piles, and packrat nests. It is also found in the Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Durango.[2]. In the United States it is found in the states of Arizona, California, Texas, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah. It is frequently seen doing push-ups, pushing its body up and down, as a form of territorial display. DISTRIBUTION: The Desert Spiny Lizard ranges across the deserts of southwestern Arizona and the northeastern plateaus at elevations ranging from near sea level along the Colorado River to about about 5,000'. A Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of Maricopa County. © 2020 The Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of The University of Arizona. The desert spiny lizard also uses camouflage so it is not so easily seen by predators. University of New Mexico Press. Both sexes have brownish/yellow triangular spots on their shoulders. In the southern subspecies (S. m. magister) males often have a large longitudinal purple patch or bar on the mid-dorsum. They're also fascinating creatures, with some unique quirks that set them apart from other desert dwellers. You might have seen a lizard doing pushups in your yard, on a wall or on the side of a tree. It also feeds on spiders, centipedes, small lizards, and some plant material. Mating takes place in spring and summer and one or two clutches of eggs are laid in spring and summer. The desert spiny lizard has a thicker body and is longer than the other two, reaching up to 12 inches — and, true to its name, is covered in imposing spines. 2006. In fact, Gila monsters, native to the Southwestern U.S. and Sonora, Mexico, are the only venomous lizards in Arizona, and bites from them are rare, Wiens says. Stebbins, R.C. Learn how and when to remove this template message, "A genetic perspective on the geographic association of taxa among arid North American lizards of the Sceloporus magister complex (Squamata: Iguanidae: Phrynosomatinae)", "A new Sceloporus magister from eastern Utah", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sceloporus_magister&oldid=917583703, Taxa named by Edward Hallowell (herpetologist), Articles lacking in-text citations from December 2015, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 24 September 2019, at 14:10.
It is usually encountered on lower slopes, bajadas, plains, and low valleys, often in the branches of trees or in the vicinity of ground cover such as wood piles, rock piles, and packrat nests. Geographic Variation in Sceloporus magister. (2006, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 39(3):873-880) split the wide-ranging Desert Spiny Lizard into three species: 1) S. uniformis of the Great Basin, Central Valley of California, and the Mohave Desert, 2) S. magister of the Sonoran Desert and Colorado Plateau, and 3) S. bimaculosus of the Chihuahuan Desert. BEHAVIOR: This diurnal lizard basks on the branches of trees, on rocks, or on other sunlit perches.
These desert spiny lizards are mostly found in North America. Web.23 Mar. "In some ways, what's comfortable for us is a pretty good indication of what's comfortable for them," Wiens says. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians, Third Edition.
DESERT SPINY LIZARD Sceloporus magister: DESCRIPTION: A large (up to about 142 mm or 5.6" from snout to vent), stocky lizard with large, pointed, keeled, overlapping scales. Mating takes place in spring and summer and one or two clutches of eggs are laid in spring and summer. Besides their bright colors, the desert spiny lizard changes to darker colors during the winter to allow them to absorb more heat from the sun, and become lighter during the summer to reflect the sun's radiation.
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Desert Spiny Lizard Male Desert Spiny Lizard Care Desert Spiny Lizard Female Published on January 30th 2017 by staff under Lizards. The Desert Spiny Lizard feeds on a variety of insects including ants, beetles, and caterpillars. Base coloration is gray, tan, or brown. A rapid virus test falters in people without symptoms, study finds, Living monuments exhibit showcases Tucson heroes in larger than life fashion. Sceloporus magister monserratensis (Van Denburgh & Slevin, 1921) was elevated to a species (Sceloporus monserratensis) by herpetologist Ernest A. Liner in 1994. 1955.
"Desert Spiny Lizards [S. magister] are somewhat larger, and adult males will have a black, deep purple, or red middorsal longitudinal stripe bordered by light stripes…." An adult male desert spiny lizard usually have conspicuous blue/violet patches on the belly and throat, and a green/blue color on their tails and sides (“Lizards “28. 2003. Even in the absence of males, they continue to reproduce, with the mother laying eggs that result in her exact clones, Wiens says. All content on this website is copyrighted © 2008 Thomas C. Brennan. By Thomas C. Brennan Phelan, R.L., and B.H. Brennan, T. C., & A. T. Holycross. What can it teach America? N.p., 2008. The whiptail and desert spiny lizards are active mostly in the warmer months, from March to October. The Desert Spiny Lizard ranges across the deserts of southwestern Arizona and the northeastern plateaus at elevations ranging from near sea level along the Colorado River to about 5,000'. Phoenix, AZ HABITAT: Biotic communities including Sonoran Desertscrub, Great Basin Desertscrub, Semidesert Grassland, Interior Chaparral, and woodlands are home to this lizard. Wiens shared some insights into how lizards behave: 1. Its large, black, wedge-shaped shoulder markings distinguish this lizard from Arizona's smaller Sceloporus. DESCRIPTION: A large (up to about 142 mm or 5.6" from snout to vent), stocky lizard with large, pointed, keeled, overlapping scales. It also feeds on spiders, centipedes, and small lizards. One Arizona species, the giant desert centipede (Scolopendra heros), may obtain lengths of 8 inches or more. Or, stay in the loop using our Amazon Alexa skill. However, most lizards are harmless to humans. Related Species. Sceloporus magister, also known as the desert spiny lizard, is a lizard species of the family Phrynosomatidae, native to the Chihuahuan Desert and Sonoran Desert of North America.
When encountered it is often heard before it is seen as it scratches and claws the bark en route to the opposite side of the trunk or branch. UA Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Usually, during the morning hours, it will be out basking in the sun on rocks or any hard surface that is in direct sunlight, but like many desert reptiles, it will seek shelter, usually underground in burrows or any suitable cover that provides shade, during the hottest part of the day in the summertime, as shade provides cooler temperatures than on the ground's surface. The aftermath for a society preoccupied with COVID-19 death: Post-traumatic stress, or growth? DIET: The Desert Spiny Lizard feeds on a variety of insects including ants, beetles, and caterpillars. 2015 Males aren't always needed for reproduction. The most common, active year-round, are tree lizards, which are small, brown or gray in color — and can be tough to spot because of the way they blend into rocks and tree bark. The similar Yarrow's Spiny Lizard has a complete collar. Degenhardt, W. G., Painter, C. W., and Price, A. H.. 1996. The tactic isn't totally without consequences, however.